1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a new design for a bicycle helmet and more specifically to a helmet having an apparatus for providing filtered and purified air to the user.
2. General Background
Numerous bicycle helmets exist which use air flow to cool the rider. Advances have been made to improve upon such cooling by positioning the openings at specific locations and by carefully adjusting their number and size. While much thought has been given to this use of the air flowing through or across the helmet, little thought has been given to purifying this air and supplying it to the user to breath.
In an urban environment, exhaust fumes, pollution, smog, and other substances are ingested by the typical bicyclist. In rural environments, duct, pollen, herbicides, and pesticides may be breathed. Thus, while the typical bicyclist may believe that an outing may be doing some aerobic good, it may also cause that person to become sick due to the exposure to these pollutants.
Furthermore, people with allergies may refrain from bicycle riding because of the discomfort experienced either during or after such riding. Alternatively, off-road bicyclists require protection from the dirt, gravel, and debris that becomes airborne, with such particles creating a hazard should they enter or become lodged in the rider's mouth or windpipe.
It is thus an objective of this invention to utilize the air flowing through and/or across a helmet to both cool the rider and as a source of clean air for breathing.
Another object of this invention is to supply filtered air to the user to protect against the inhalation of foreign matter.
A further object of this invention is to provide a bicycle helmet with a flexible mouthpiece for breathing that is available on an as needed basis. These and other objects will become obvious upon further investigation.